Movie picks

Director Ruben Fleischer, a former reality-show writer, is hardly the only culpable party in this wreck, in which Nick (Jesse Eisenberg), an overgrown pizza boy, is mugged and forced to wear a vest full of dynamite until he successfully robs a bank. — Justin Strout

Chapel Hills 15

*Another Earth (PG-13)

Another Earth may be the first film to capitalize on the new authority of parallel worlds, and it's a work that's as worthy of its sci-fi predecessors as it is forward-looking. — Justin Strout

Kimball's Peak Three

Apollo 18 (PG-13)

In December of 1974, two American astronauts were sent on a secret mission to the moon funded by the U.S. Department of Defense. What you are about to see is the actual footage that the astronauts captured on that mission. — Not reviewed

In plenty of ways, the film sticks to a successful Apatow formula. The story structure is never so rigid that it won't allow room for freelancing a randomly (and hilariously) off-color conversation. The dialogue snaps with intelligence, and while belly laughs are the meat on the menu, there's a sentimental side. — Scott Renshaw

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Captain America: The First Avenger (PG-13)

This is a WWII-set comic book adventure about a once-meek U.S. soldier turned hero thanks to an experimental super serum that grants strength and agility far beyond that of a normal human being. — Not reviewed

Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Hollywood Interquest, Tinseltown

The Change-Up (R)

Here's the ugly truth about genre formulas: They generally exist for good reason. While adhering to the formula is no guarantee of success, turning it sideways isn't inevitably a step in the right direction. — Scott Renshaw

Chapel Hills 15

Colombiana (PG-13)

Cataleya, a young woman who has grown up to be an assassin after witnessing the murder of her parents as a child, turns herself into a professional killer. — Not reviewed

Chapel Hills 15, Tinseltown

Conan the Barbarian (R)

Conan's exploits in the Hyborian Age now come alive like never before. A quest that begins as a personal vendetta for the fierce Cimmerian warrior soon turns into an epic battle against hulking rivals, horrific monsters and impossible odds. — Not reviewed

For two hours, the film offers up a terrific cast and some genuinely funny moments, but its inability to find real greatness can be encapsulated by one scene — an attempt at sophistication that's too often undercut by sitcom simplicity. — Scott Renshaw

Tinseltown

*The Debt (R)

The Debt, a new thriller, fleshes out a great scenario with fresh action beats, some killer acting and wonderful interplay between Jessica Chastain and Helen Mirren. — Justin Strout

Cinemark 16, Hollywood Interquest, Tinseltown

*Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (R)

The haunted-house thriller sometimes feels like a lost art. But like Insidious earlier this year, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark is a triumph of mood and tone that dutifully holds us in suspense until the very end. — Dan Hudak

Carmike 10, Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Tinseltown

*Fright Night (R)

This delightfully perverse little vampire movie makes me more nostalgic for that time and the feeling that '80s movies gave me. Director Craig Gillespie (Lars and the Real Girl) manages to invoke the retro without being cheesy, the amusing without being winking, and the creepy without being awkward. — MaryAnn Johanson

Cinemark 16

Green Lantern (PG-13)

Each sector of space is protected by a Green Lantern, possessing a power ring that uses a powerful green energy to do anything within the limits of the user's imagination and will power. — Not reviewed

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The Hangover Part II (R)

This feels exactly like a script that was thrown together quickly to capitalize on an unexpected success, duplicating the execution — and the flaws — of the first. — Scott Renshaw

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*Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (PG-13)

It's fair to say that while Hallows 2.0 is far from a perfect piece of filmcraft, director David Yates and screenwriter Steve Kloves know exactly how to guide us through this final chapter. — Scott Renshaw

Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Hollywood Interquest, Tinseltown

The Help (PG-13)

Set in Mississippi in the '60s, a southern society girl returns from college determined to become a writer, but turns her friends' lives upside down when she decides to interview the black women who have spent their lives taking care of prominent southern families. — Not reviewed

Horrible Bosses is a rarity in that the story holds together throughout while just about every joke, quip, one-liner and physical gag works. — Dan Hudak

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Kung Fu Panda 2 (PG)

Po is now living his dream as the Dragon Warrior. But his new life of awesomeness is threatened by the emergence of a formidable villain, who plans to use a secret, unstoppable weapon to conquer China and destroy kung fu. — Not reviewed

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*Midnight in Paris (PG-13)

The film is a nicely executed, clever idea, if neither as groundbreaking nor as intelligent as Woody Allen's earlier work. — Anders Wright

There's no logical way to defend the way One Day charmed me. As adapted by David Nicholls from his tear-jerking novel, it's hardly an example of clockwork plotting, but it does what you ask of a romance: It gives you two interesting people and a reason to hope that they wind up happy. — Scott Renshaw

The creative team seems to have learned little from the mistakes of the past, while adding new ones. The attempt to give Jack Sparrow a romantic subplot feels like a misunderstanding of the character's nature, and there's never a genuine spark between Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz. — Scott Renshaw

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*Rise of the Planet of the Apes (PG-13)

Escapism isn't about what happens on the screen, but what happens to us: You want to lose yourself in a movie. Rise of the Planet of the Apes is the essence of the summer flick, and this is how you do it. — MaryAnn Johanson

Luke escapes the pressures of golf and finds himself unexpectedly stranded in Utopia, Texas, home to eccentric rancher Johnny Crawford. — Not reviewed

Cinemark 16

Shark Night (PG-13)

Arriving by boat at her family's Louisiana lake island cabin, Sara and her friends quickly strip down to their swimsuits for a weekend of fun in the sun. The college friends soon discover the lake has been stocked with hundreds of massive, flesh-eating sharks. — Not reviewed

A hybrid live-action and animated family comedy. When the evil wizard Gargamel chases the Smurfs out of their village, they're forced through a portal and into our world. They must find a way home. — Not reviewed

Carmike 10, Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Tinseltown

Spy Kids: All the Time in the World (PG)

Marissa Cortez Wilson's world turns upside down when the Timekeeper threatens to take over the planet and she is called back into action by the OSS. — Not reviewed

Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Hollywood Interquest, Tinseltown

*Super 8 (PG-13)

When J.J. Abrams gets away from the strengths of his own story, he turns it into something merely pretty good. — Scott Renshaw

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Transformers: Dark of the Moon (PG-13)

Dark of the Moon is yet another Michael Bay movie in which any given 10 minutes would almost certainly be better as only three. — Scott Renshaw

Carmike 10

Winnie the Pooh (G)

With all of the charm, wit and whimsy of the original featurettes, this all-new movie reunites former audiences with the philosophical "bear of very little brain" and friends. — Not reviewed